1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector, and more particularly to a half-fitting prevention connector in which when a pair of female and male connector housings are fitted together, a half-fitted condition of the female and male connector housings is detected by determining whether or not a fitting detection member, mounted on one of the connector housings, can be slid into a proper fitting detection position.
2. Related Art
In a conventional half-fitting prevention connector 1 shown in FIG. 15, when a pair of female and male connector housings F and M are fitted together, a half-fitted condition of the female and male connector housings F and M is detected by determining whether or not a lock confirmation slider S, mounted on the male connector housing (first connector housing) M, can be slid into a proper fitting detection position (see JP-A-3-285280).
A lock arm 2 extends rearwardly from a front end of an outer peripheral wall of the male connector housing M through its rising proximal end portion 2a, and a retaining projection 2b is formed on an intermediate portion of this lock arm, and a grasp portion 2c is formed at a rear end of the lock arm.
A lock detection arm 3, having a stopper 3a and a support guide 3b, is formed on the lock confirmation slider S.
The female connector housing F includes a lock chamber 4 having a retaining portion 4a for engagement with the retaining projection 2b of the lock arm 2.
FIG. 15A shows a condition in which the male connector housing M, having the lock confirmation slider S mounted thereon, and the female connector housing F are initially fitted together, and the lock detection arm 3 is held in an initial position, with the stopper 3a abutted against the retaining projection 2b of the lock arm 2 and also with the support guide 3b supporting the retaining projection 2b. 
FIG. 15B shows a condition in which the male connector housing M is further inserted into the female connector housing F, and the lock arm 2 is elastically deformed downwardly, and the retaining projection 2b is held in sliding contact with a tapering guide portion 4b of the retaining portion 4a of the lock chamber 4.
FIG. 15C shows a condition in which the female and male connector housings F and M are completely fitted together, and the retaining projection 2b of the lock arm 2 is lockingly engaged with the retaining portion 4a, and the lock confirmation slider S has moved into a lock confirmation position. Therefore, it is confirmed that the female and male connector housings F and M are not in a half-fitted condition, but are completely fitted together.
In the above conventional half-fitting prevention connector 1, however, the fitted condition of the female and male connector housings F and M is judged by the position of the lock confirmation slider S, that is, by confirming whether the slider is located in the initial position or the lock confirmation position.
Therefore, it is necessary and essential that the lock confirmation slider S should be positively located in the initial position before the female and male connector housings F and M are fitted together, and when the lock confirmation slider S was disposed in other position than the initial position before the fitting operation, a half-fitted condition could not be detected in some cases.
Namely, before the fitting operation of the half-fitting prevention connector 1, the lock confirmation slider S is held in the initial position, with the stopper 3a of the lock detection arm 3a abutted against the retaining projection 2b of the lock arm 2. However, the lock arm 2 has a cantilever configuration, and extends rearwardly through its rising proximal end portion 2a, and therefore can be easily elastically deformed. Therefore, there was encountered a problem that when the lock arm 2 was elastically deformed upwardly (in the drawings), for example, by inadvertent contact, the retaining projection 2b was disengaged from the stopper 3a, so that the lock confirmation slider S was displaced forwardly from the initial position.
And besides, generally, each of the female and male connector housings F and M and the lock confirmation slider S is produced by injection molding of a resin, and unless the male connector housing M and the lock confirmation slider S are produced highly precisely, there has been encountered a problem that the amount of engagement between the retaining projection 2b and the stopper 3a is small when the male connector housing M and the lock confirmation slide S are combined together, so that it is difficult to hold the lock confirmation slider S in the initial position.
For fitting the female and male connector housings F and M not in a half-fitted condition but in the completely-fitted condition, it is necessary that the male connector housing M can be smoothly inserted and fitted into a predetermined position in the female connector housing F without being caught.
However, in the above half-fitting prevention connector 1, there is provided no guide member, and the female and male connector housings F and M guide each other merely through their bodies, and therefore in some cases, the male connector housing M was, in some cases, inclined during the fitting of this housing M into the female connector housing F. As a result, the axes of the female and male connector housings F and M were out of alignment with each other, so that it became difficult to fit the two connector housings together, and this was one cause of the half-fitted condition of the female and male connector housings F and M.
It is an object of this invention to provide a half-fitting prevention connector in which before female and male connector housings are fitted together, a fitting detection member is positively located in an initial position, and when fitting the female and male connector housings together, the two connector housings can be completely fitted together easily and positively, and besides the fitted condition can be confirmed.
(1) The above problems have been solved by a half-fitting prevention connector comprising:
a first connector housing having a flexible lock arm;
a second connector housing having an engagement portion for a first engagement with a lock portion of the flexible lock arm, and connectable to the first connector housing by the first engagement of the lock portion with the engagement portion when the second connector housing is fitted relative to the first connector housing;
a fitting detection member including a detection member body of a substantially tubular shape, fitted on an outer periphery of the first connector housing so as to slide in a fitting direction of the first and second connector housings, and a positioning retaining portion for a second engagement with the lock portion to hold the detection member body in an initial position; and
a flexible lock arm-holding portion provided on the fitting detection member for preventing the flexible lock arm from being moved in a direction to cancel the second engagement of the lock portion with the positioning retaining portion.
In the half-fitting prevention connector of the above construction, before the first connector is fitted in the second connector housing, the fitting detection member, mounted on the first connector housing, is held in the initial position by the engagement of the positioning retaining portion with the lock portion. At this time, the flexible lock arm-holding portion prevents the flexible lock arm, having the lock portion, from being elastically deformed in the direction to cancel the engagement of the lock portion with the positioning retaining portion.
Therefore, before the first and second connector housings are fitted together, the flexible lock arm will not be elastically deformed, for example, by inadvertent contact with other part, and therefore the engagement of the lock portion with the positioning retaining portion will not be canceled. And besides, the fitting detection member can be positively held in the initial position, and the fitted condition of the first and second connector housings can be easily confirmed, and a half-fitted condition can be prevented.
When the fitting detection member is mounted on the first connector housing, the flexible lock arm is corrected into the proper position by the flexible lock arm-holding portion, thereby securing the proper amount of engagement between the lock portion and the positioning retaining portion.
Therefore, even if the flexible lock arm is deformed in a direction away from the positioning retaining portion, the flexible lock arm can be corrected so that the lock portion can be engaged with the positioning retaining portion in a proper amount. Therefore, when the first and second connector housings are fitted together, a half-fitted condition can be positively prevented.
(2) In the half-fitting prevention connector, the flexible lock arm-holding portion is formed on and projects from at least one inner side surface of the detection member body.
In the half-fitting prevention connector of this construction, the flexible lock arm-holding portion is formed on and projects such a distance from the one inner side surface of the detection member body as to reach a lower surface of one side portion of a front portion of the flexible lock arm.
Therefore, the front portion of the flexible lock arm is prevented from being inadvertently elastically deformed downwardly, thereby maintaining the mutually-engaged condition of the lock portion and the positioning retaining portion. The flexible lock arm-holding portions maybe formed respectively on the opposed inner side surfaces of the detection member body.
(3) Further, a half-fitting prevention connector is characterized in that a rib slidingly supported on the flexible lock arm-holding portion is formed on the flexible lock arm.
In the half-fitting prevention connector of the above construction, the rib on the flexible lock arm is slidingly supported with the flexible lock arm-holding portion.
Accordingly, the flexible lock arm is enhanced in its strength and the stability is improved. Thus unnecessary deflection in a forward and downward direction is reliably prevented so that the engagement between the lock portion and the positioning retaining portion is maintained.
(4) A half-fitting prevention connector of the invention is also characterized in that the connector comprises
a first connector housing having a flexible lock arm, the flexible lock arm having a lock arm guide groove extending in a fitting direction of the first connector housing and a second connector housing;
the second connector housing having an engagement portion for a first engagement with a lock portion of the flexible lock arm, and connectable to the first connector housing by the first engagement of the lock portion with the engagement portion when the second connector housing is fitted relative to the first connector housing; and
a fitting detection member including a detection member body of a substantially tubular shape, fitted on an outer periphery of the first connector housing so as to slide in the fitting direction of the first and second connector housings, the detection member body having a detection member guide groove extending in the fitting direction of the first and second connector housings, and a positioning retaining portion for a second engagement with the lock portion to hold the detection member body in an initial position;
wherein a flexible lock arm-guide portion and a fitting detection member-guide portion, which extend in the fitting direction of the first and second connector housings, are formed on the second connector housing; and
when the first and second connector housings are fitted together, the flexible lock arm-guide portion is fitted in the lock arm guide groove while the fitting detection member-guide portion is fitted in the detection member guide groove.
In the half-fitting prevention connector of the above construction, when fitting the first and second connector housings together, the flexible lock arm-guide portion is fitted in the lock arm guide groove, and by doing so, the second connector housing can be properly positioned relative to the flexible lock arm, that is, the axis of the second connector housing can be aligned with the axis of the first connector housing, so that the fitting of the first and second connector housings can be effected smoothly.
And besides, at the same time, the fitting detection member-guide portion is fitted in the detection member guide groove, and therefore the axes of the second connector housing and the fitting detection member can be aligned with each other, so that the two can be fitted together smoothly. This eliminates one cause of the half-fitted condition, thereby positively preventing the half-fitted condition of the female and male connector housings.
(5) In the half-fitting prevention connector, the fitting detection member-guide portions are formed at least one pair on opposite side surfaces of an outer periphery of a housing body respectively, and the detection member guide grooves are formed respectively on an inner surface of the detection member body corresponding respectively to the fitting detection member-guide portions.
In the half-fitting prevention connector of this construction, at least one pair of fitting detection member-guide portions are respectively on the opposite side surfaces of the housing body, and therefore the axes of the second connector housing and the fitting detection member can be positively aligned with each other, so that the fitting operation can be effected more smoothly.